


The initiation

by lysanderwarrior (orphan_account)



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Awkward Sexual Situations, Cheating, F/M, How Do I Tag, Jeronica, Joining a gang, Mentioned Southside Serpents Gang, Not detailed tho, Underage Drinking, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-22 07:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17658650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/lysanderwarrior
Summary: Veronica Lodge wants to join the Southside Serpents but denies to do the Serpent dance.Lucky for her, there's another way to join.





	1. "There's this one other way to join... It's worse, though."

**Author's Note:**

> Idk how long this will be but it's very much possible that each part will be short

"Veronica, are you serious about this?"

Jughead Jones furrowed his brows, tightening his grip around the coffee cup he had gotten from Veronica Lodge, on the house. He was shocked, but didn't show it.

The raven-haired princess was sitting across him in the booth at Pop's, the neon light shining inside from the front of the diner and making her eyes light up.

"I've never been more serious, Jones."

Jughead sighed, placing the cup down and raising his elbows on the table.

"Let me get this straight... you want to join the Serpents,,, but you _don't_ want to do the dance?" Veronica nodded, and the beanie-wearing boy sighed again, more audible this time. He leaned against his hand, looking dumbfounded. "Why do you want to do that?"

"Because I want to help you as much as you've helped me. All of you. I doubt Pop's was still standing if it weren't for you."

His heart actually felt warm after hearing that, and he fought back a small smile. Still, the corner of his mouth tugged up.

"There's no turning back after this, you know that, _right?"_

She nodded, placing her palms on the table.

"I know. So... is there any way to join without doing the dance? I'd rather not strip in front middle-aged men, _no offense."_

"Why would I be offen- nevermind," he sighed and looked like he was thinking, before suddenly freezing on place. Jughead furrowed his brows, lost in thought.

"Uh... Jughead?"

"There's, um," Jughead scratched the back of his neck, nervously. He was avoiding her gaze. "There's this one other way to join... It's worse, though."

"Does it include doing something ridiculous in front of a crowd?"

"N-no," he still looked troubled, tapping his fingers against the table and his mouth twitching.

"I'll do it then, what is it?" Veronica seemed excited, leaning over the table a little and her lips forming into a smile.

"It's, uh," Jughead looked down, mumbling, "spending the night with the Serpent King..."

"What?" she blinked, seemingly not believing it, but once she saw Jughead's facial expression, she frowned. "Can't you- can't you just change the rule...?"

"If I did that right now that you're joining, everyone would think that I'm doing favors for my friend."

Veronica bit on her lip and looked down at her hands, weighing her options.

"Does spending the night mean se-"

_"Yes,"_ Jughead interrupted her, clearing his throat. "So, uh, I'd prefer not cheating on Betty and you not cheating on my bestfriend, but... I suppose it's your choice."

"Archie and I-" she quickly started, kind of surprised that Archie hadn't told him already. "We broke up. It happens."

_"Oh,"_ he looked at her and seemed surprised, almost... empathetic? "I'm sorry..."

"It's not that sleeping with, um, you, would be _worse_ than doing a striptease, but I'm not sure I can do that to Betty..." now it was Veronica's turn to tap her fingers against the table, pouting.

"That's understandable..." it sounded like they were discussing a small deal, though it definitely was not that. "Er, do you want to reconsider if this is what you really want?"

She bit on the inside of her cheek, thinking, before looking up at him and asking quickly, "Do we have to tell anyone?"

"W-what?"

"If I— spend the night," Veronica slowed down, running a hand through a strand of her raven hair and not keeping eye contact. "Can we keep it between _us?"_

"Uh..." he swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.. He didn't expect her to agree to it. "I suppose yes."

"Then I'll do it," she sighed, not looking happy but not sad or annoyed either.

"Oh, um, that's great. I mean- that's fine. When do you want to.... _complete_ your initiation?" why was he stuttering? It wasn't just because he was shocked, he was also nervous.

"Whenever is fine with you..." Veronica quickly licked her lips, attracting Jughead's attention to her mouth. She quickly shook her head. "Um, will it happen in your trailer?"

"Well, probably... My dad is also gone tonight... if that's fine with you."

"Perfect. I mean,,, I'll be there. Is, uh, midnight okay?" she sounded nervous too, but it wasn't a surprise. She still tried to keep her calm nature.

"Midnight?"

"Yeah, so people won't see me come in..."

"Oh, yeah, midnight is fine," Jughead nodded, picking his beanie up and running a hand through his hair before putting the hat back on. "I'm more of a night person anyways."

"I'll see you there then, Jones," Veronica nodded back, getting up and glancing at his coffee cup, which at some point during their odd conversation had been knocked down and was now pooling the liquid on the table. "I'll ask Pop to give you a re-fill. See you later..."

And he looked after her as the raven-haired princess walked away in her Pop's uniform, looking lovely as ever.

Jughead shook his head to himself, smiling just a little. Did he seriously just discuss having sex with Veronica Lodge?

 

 


	2. Intoxicating indeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's midnight. Veronica comes over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically Jeronica just tryna decide if they should sleep together or not

 

It was multiple hours later, now Jughead was sitting on the worn couch in the living slash kitchen area in his trailer. He wasn't sure of how to dress or act, so he just wore his usual clothes, including his Serpent jacket and changed the sheets to his bed. Saying that he was nervous was an understatement. He was going to go insane soon.

Jughead hadn't expected Veronica Lodge to want to join the Serpents, yet along her agreeing to _sleep_ with him to get to join. He probably should've thought about it more before agreeing to it, since now he was facing a moral dilemma, though he tried to push it away. Should he help his... _friend..._ to join the Serpents and cheat on his girlfriend, Betty Cooper, or let her join the classic way and stay loyal? Now that he was sitting on the couch, his hands trembling as he waited for the raven-haired princess to arrive,,, it looked a lot like the first option. Jughead would've had the time to call her, to call it off and say that he can't do it to his girlfriend, but he didn't. He didn't want to and he didn't know why. He was intrigued about what's to come.

Jughead glanced around and his eyes met the clock, it showing five minutes until midnight. Betty had called him about an hour ago, wanting to tell him something about the Penelope Blossom — the murderer of men — case she was working on, but Jughead had said that his dad needed him and couldn't talk. The young Serpent didn't even feel bad about it, and he hated himself for it.

He jumped up once he heard a knock on the door. There's no turning back now. Jughead took a deep breath, sweeped his beanie off his head, dropping it on the couch and walked to the door. Slowly opening it, he saw Veronica Lodge standing outside the door.

"Hey," she said with a small voice, her hands clutching a purse she had brought with her.

"Hi-" his voice got stuck to the back of his throat once he saw what she was wearing. A short black dress, hugging her curves and showing a lot of cleveage. At least she had a small jacket on, kind of covering her chest and black knee socks covering her legs.

Without thinking, he grabbed her arm and pulled the girl inside, closing the door behind them.

"What are you doing here dressed like _that?_ The Serpents- they're not that nice," he breathed out.

"I thought their point was to protect me," Veronica rolled her eyes, smoothing out the dress and kicking off her heels. "Besides, I didn't know what I should wear to- to this... I mean, am I supposed to impress you to let me join or?"

"I, uh, I hadn't thought about that," Jughead swallowed, running a hand through his raven locks. "Let's just get this over with and you'll get to join," he sighed.

"I sure _love_ to hear that, considering that we're about to-" she was silenced by Jughead pulling the jacket off her shoulders, sending shivers down her spine.

"Um, do you want anything to drink?" he placed the jacket on the coat rack.

_"Please,_ something with alcohol," Veronica sighed, crossing her arms protectively and taking a seat on the couch.

"Roger that," he nodded at her before walking to the kitchen, pulling out a bottle of — it didn't actually matter what it was since it still was alcohol — and pouring them both a glass.

Meanwhile Veronica pulled out her phone, deleting all the notifications about unread messages from Reggie. She wasn't even sure she liked him and didn't want to lead him on, so she had made the decision to avoid him every chance she gets, even if it meant eventually firing him from her speakasy.

Finally, Jughead returned from the tiny kitchen and handed her the drink. She gave him a nod as a thank you.

"So, um," he took a seat next to her, keeping a solid distance. "Do you want to take it slow or.... get this over with?"

"Both are okay with me," she took a big chug from her drink, the alcohol burning in her throat but still swallowing it. "Let's just get a little alcohol in our blood first."

They both finished their drinks in the matter of about a minute and Jughead got them a second round. Drinking it so fast got into their head a bit.

"Should you lose that Serpent jacket, Jones?" Veronica suggested, getting more relaxed now and leaning against the couch.

He quickly got rid of it, pulling it off his shoulders and throwing it on the floor. After that, he took a big sip from his glass.

"Um... it doesn't seem fair that only I lose some clothing," Jughead tried to be flirty, to get things going, but it wasn't exactly his strong suit. "Why won't you take something off too?"

Saying that felt... wrong and awkward but also funny, which was revealed by Veronica chuckling.

"You have half as much clothing as I do, Jughead, but fine," she straightened her posture before leaning over to her feet and pulling her knee socks off, revealing her tanned legs. She let them drop on the floor.

"Mhm," he let out a grunt of approval before finishing his drink. Veronica did the same and started leaning closer to him.

"W-woah," he scooted backwards on the couch, his voice cracking as he whined.

"What?"

"You were leaning in to-"

"Isn't that the point?" she looked a little disappointed, insulted. "If you don't want any kissing that's fine-"

"No, it's okay," Jughead took a deep breath, sliding closer to her again and unsurely placing a hand on her jaw. "If we start now, it won't take so long."

"Yes, exactly," Veronica rolled her eyes before adjusting to his hand. "Like thirty minutes tops and it will be all over and I'll be on my way."

They fell into silence, Veronica waiting for him to start and Jughead... well, waiting for himself to start. He brushed his thumb over her cheek, glancing at her lips which were covered in purple lipstick.

Just jump, Jughead. Take the damn leap, he was telling himself. This is doing a favor for a friend, not cheating. Just take the leap, Jughead.

And he took it.

Jughead smashed his lips against hers, pulling her closer to him with his free arm. She seemed surprised, squealing against his lips before melting in the kiss, cupping his face firmly.

_"Mm,"_ she sighed against his lips, running her other hand down his sides and slipping it under his shirt, receiving a surprised groan from him.

"You taste like alcohol, Lodge," Jughead mumbled once he pulled away, out of breath. _Intoxicating indeed,_ he thought.

"So do you, idiot," she took in a sharp breath, her chest raising with her every breath. He just chuckled back at her.

"Should we, uh, move this party to the bedroom?" his hand got lost at her shoulder, his thumb gliding over her collarbone and pushing the strap of her dress down at the same time.

"Yes," Veronica simply responded. She didn't feel comfortable flirting, knowing that this was just her initiation and that her bestfriend was his girlfriend.

Jughead got up from the couch, offering her his hand and pulling her up once she took it. The alcohol was getting to her, making her stumble towards him, quickly wrapping her arms around his torso to avoid falling to the ground.

"Oh- sorry," Veronica took a step back once she got her balance restored. She wasn't usually this nervous or clumsy, the drinking really affected her fast. Or maybe being with Jughead affected her, she didn't know.

He shook his head, amused and grabbed her hand. He started leading her towards the bedroom and she complied, following him. Once they were standing next to the bed, Veronica worked up some courage and pushed him on the bed.

_"Damn,_ Veronica," Jughead said as she climbed up on his lap, straddling him. They were doing their best not to make it awkward, but it was hard. He propped himself up on his elbows, looking her up and down.

Veronica reached down to the hem of her dress, but suddenly grew hesitant. She bit her lip, unsure. Jughead must've noticed since he took her hand in his, pulling it away from the hem.

"It's- it's not too late to stop. You can always-"

"No. I _want_ to- I mean, I _need_ to do this," Veronica placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. It all was starting to feel way too intimate to mean nothing, but they blamed it on the alcohol.

"If you're sure," he gave her a small smile which resulted in Veronica leaning down and kissing him, surprisingly softly. Jughead placed a hand on her lower back — where her dress was slowly riding up — and pulling her closer. She bit down on his lip, getting a low moan from him before sitting up, still on his lap.

This is _so_ wrong, she thought but couldn't help it.

Veronica took a hold of the hem of her dress again, this time pulling it up and over her head before throwing it over her shoulder.

"So, we're _really_ doing this," the corner of Jughead's mouth tugged up, his hand grazing Veronica's hip as he looked over her revealed body.

"I suppose we are," she sighed, starting to unbutton his flannel, finally having pushed all the thoughts of how wrong this was away and just focusing on his warm skin burning against hers through his clothes.

 


	3. "I assume she isn't staying for breakfast?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out Veronica and Jughead fell asleep last night, making it impossible for Veronica to leave without any awkward encounters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really tried to portray them correctly sksksk

 

He woke up to the sound of the door slamming shut... Then slowly he started hearing his name being called. It took a while for him to realise where he was, who was calling for him and most importantly, whose _naked skin_ was pressed against his.

Jughead Jones opened his eyes to reveal Veronica Lodge sleeping in his arms under the sheets, her skin hot against his. And a voice was calling for him... his dad.

 _"Fuck,"_ he mumbled, his voice still asleep and not coming out. He sat up, not waking up the raven-haired beauty next to him, just to notice that both his and Veronica's clothes were splayed across the floor.

They must've fallen asleep last night, after they had finished... her initiation. She was supposed to sneak out in the darkness of the night, but _obviously_ they forgot about that arrangement. He tried to ignore how unhygienic the whole thing was and just thanked god that the door to the bedroom was closed.

"Mhm..." Veronica was starting to awake. Maybe they could get her out from one of the windows, though her jacket and shoes were in the next room, making it not possible.

The moment his dad walked in,,, they would be screwed.

Jughead quickly grabbed his boxers and T-shirt from the floor, trying to get themselves some type of modesty before they were exposed.

"Ugh... Jughead?" Veronica sat up slowly, the sheets pooling around her waist as she sat there, tired and vision still blurry.

 _"Veronica,_ uh..." he was trying to decide on which clothes to give her while trying to avoid looking at her body at the same time. "Wear this, my dad's outside," he whispered, handing her his T-shirt.

"Wh-what?" her eyes widened in horror, grabbing the shirt and quickly pulling it over her head.

Jughead pulled on his boxers and quickly grabbed the rest of the clothes from the floor just when the door opened.

"Jug, whose jacket-" FP Jones was standing in the doorway, his eyes widening as he noticed no other than Veronica Lodge in his son's bed.

"Dad, I-" he started, but he had no explanation. He glanced at Veronica who looked like she wished to be swallowed by the ground right at the moment.

"Uhm," the older Jones cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "I'm going to make some breakfast, come out when you're done."

And so the door was shut again.

Veronica instantly spoke up.

"Oh my god! How could I- why did we-" she sighed, burying her face in his hands. "Oh god."

"It's alright," he tried to console her, despite him being panicked too. Jughead looked over her wearing his shirt and fought off a smile. "Um, well now at least we have a witness that you _did_ complete your initiation."

"Not funny, Jughead!" Veronica groaned, grabbing a pillow from the bed and shoving it at him. "You should be more worried than I am! What if your dad tells Betty?!"

Jughead grew silent. He hadn't even thought about that. He hadn't even thought about his girlfriend while going through the process of sleeping with her bestfriend.

"Crap, you're right."

Veronica sighed, standing up from the bed and looking at herself on a small mirror that was placed on the counter.

"You have to be _kidding_ me," she groaned, leaning closer to the mirror to see the purple marks on her neck.

Jughead glanced at her leaning over the counter with only a T-shirt on, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Let me see your neck, Jughead," she got back on the bed, on her knees and moved over to him, cupping his face.

"What's happening?" he asked slowly as Veronica started turning his face in the other direction.

"Turns out we grew quite wild last night..." she sighed, running her thumb over the dark hickeys on his neck which showed even more on his pale skin.

"Well... I'm sure I could pull off a turtleneck," Jughead joked, trying to lighten up the terribly awkward mood.

"This isn't a joke, Jughead. Stop acting so immature," Veronica furrowed her brows before starting to go through the pile of clothes to find her underwear.

"I- sorry..." he ran a hand nervously through his hair. "Technically, though, we didn't do anything wrong. That was the whole point."

"What?" she looked up at him as she stood up and started dressing up, just instead of pulling on her dress, she kept Jughead's shirt which probably covered more than the dress in the first place.

"This was your initiation. It wasn't cheating. It wasn't wrong," he also got up, starting to make the bed. "So, er, _congrats?"_

She was quiet for a while before speaking up.

"So you're telling me that if someone, for example, Ethel Muggs or Cheryl Blossom tried to join the Serpents right now, and wouldn't want to do the dance, you'd sleep with them?" Veronica raised her hands to her hips. She wasn't sure if she was trying to prove that what they did was wrong or that it meant something.

"Well you chose two people for this example who I don't particularly like so no. I wouldn't."

"So you like _me?"_ she raised her brows.

"I- what are you trying to prove here, Veronica?" Jughead sighed, furrowing his brows and grabbing a clean T-shirt from the cupboard.

"Nothing. Nothing at all, Jones. Sorry for _bothering_ you," she scoffed, ready to flee the room before realising that his dad was on the other side.

"Did I do something wrong or-" he started, but Veronica interrupted him with a chuckle.

"Something wrong? We both did something wrong! This whole thing, it's a _fiasco!_ A mistake!" Veronica's efforts in trying to keep calm were wasted as she let it all out on Jughead.

She started pulling the T-shirt off, letting it drop on the floor before getting dressed in her dress from yesterday. She took a step closer to Jughead, him being able to smell her perfume from yesterday.

"I want my Serpent jacket as the classic black, no special colors. And don't tell Betty anything before I decide on what we should do, okay?"

And before Jughead could do anything else, she was out the door. He did run after her in the living room, but she had already pulled on her jacket and heels and left.

Jughead sighed, standing in place and looking at the open door.

"So..." his dad interrupted the moment. "I assume she isn't staying for breakfast?"

 

 


	4. "I think she's a great fit. Loyal and brave."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to school after the wild, wild weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy :)

 

It was the first day of school after the weekend. Veronica was standing in front of the high school, — lots of foundation on her neck, covering her Saturday night's mistakes — taking deep breaths and preparing to go inside. Perhaps she should wait until the last minute so she could go straight to class without having to talk to Betty. She didn't want to face her, especially if she was spending time with her boyfriend, whom Veronica slept with the last Saturday.

She took a final deep breath, just a minute before the bells would ring and started to walk inside. Suddenly someone grabbed her arm, pulling her aside, behind a few bushes that were placed next to the stairs on the entrance.

"Hey... Veronica," it was Jughead, he looked a little troubled. He looked a little paler today and the lapels of his jacket were up, covering his neck. She felt kind of... satisfied? Seeing him go over trouble to cover up something she made.

Veronica shook her head internally, she had to get those thoughts out of her head.

"You can't just grab me like that, you scared me!" she scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, didn't know you were a weakling," he chuckled a little, looking her up and down, before suddenly starting to dig through his bag. "I brought you something."

"Can't this wait? Class starts-" she was interrupted by the bells going off and the rest of the teens outside rushing inside of the school building. "Well, _now."_

"It can't," Jughead pulled something black and leathery from his bag. It was a jacket. A Serpent jacket. "Thought you might want this."

"Oh... thanks," Veronica looked down at the jacket, her jacket, and smiled just a little. This reward didn't seem too bad. "Can I wear it right away?"

"Your choice," the corner of his mouth tugged up too once he saw her smiling. Jughead put his hands on her shoulders, turning her back towards him. "I can help you."

He slipped the jacket on her, smoothing it out on her shoulders and sending shivers down her spine. Veronica flipped her hair from inside it to rest on her back. Then she turned towards him.

"Thank you, Jughead," she sighed, happy, and fixed the lapels of her new jacket.

"No problem," he smiled at her, eyes shining, before looking down. "Oh, and um..."

He started digging through his bag again and pulled out something silky and black. Her knee socks.

"You— forgot these when you left," Jughead mumbled, handing her the socks.

"You're lucky everyone's in class, we can't be seen like this," she sighed, stuffing the socks in her bag while looking around. "And I should go too."

Veronica turned around to leave, but Jughead suddenly stopped her, grabbing her arm. Her skin burned from the spot his hand touched her.

"Er..." he didn't know why he grabbed her, thus he didn't know what to say. He just didn't want her to leave so quick. Time to make up an excuse. "Let me walk you to class?"

She sighed, shaking her head, "We're in the same English class, Jughead."

"Y-yeah, that was my point," Jughead insisted, starting to walk inside and pulling her along by her arm before letting go.

"You're acting... _odd,"_ Veronica observed as they walked along the empty hallway, their footsteps echoing in it. "Not that this whole thing isn't odd, but... is everything okay?"

He thought for a moment, looking around the abandoned hallway with lockers going on for days.

"I'm just... trying to act normal. Trying to think of how I'll face Betty."

"I thought that we didn't do _anything wrong,"_ she glanced at him, narrowing her eyes a little. He didn't reply or meet her gaze.

Finally — after a stop at each of their lockers with no words exchanged — they got to the English classroom door and Veronica turned towards him, meeting his eyes.

"Jughead. Let's just forget about this whole deal, it will be easier. You don't need to tell anyone about how I became a Serpent. _Okay?"_ it sounded more like an order than a suggestion.

"Okay," he complied, nodding at her and shoving his hands in his pockets.

It seemed like now they did the whole thing for nothing. But that didn't mean that they didn't think it was worth it.

Veronica opened the classroom door, excusing herself for being late and walking to her seat. She heard multiple surprised gasps, only now remembering the leather jacket she was wearing. Jughead came in after her, taking his seat on the other end of the class.

Toni Topaz was sitting next to Jughead and leaned towards him, nudging him on the shoulder.

"You let Emily the Strange join the Serpents?" she whispered, raising her eyebrows. She sounded both surprised and mad, after all, she was kicked out of the gang.

"Yeah. I think she was a great fit," he explained with a poker face. He glanced in Veronica's direction, seeing how her hair shined in the brief sunlight coming from the windows. Jughead suppressed a cough. "Loyal and brave."

"Not that I have anything against her, but... you do know who her dad is," Toni glanced to the front of the class, the bold snake from the back of Veronica's jacket catching her eyes.

"I think I know who to let in my gang and who not to, but thanks," Jughead whispered back, rolling his eyes.

"Suit yourself. Did she strip for you or what?"

Jughead tensed, his hands forming into fists under the desk. He swallowed slowly, not looking at the pink-haired girl.

 _"Focus,_ Toni. It's class time," was all he got out of his mouth.

 


	5. "It isn't a surprise that he'd get tired of my dear cousin the second he gets the chance to see Veronica Lodge take her clothes off."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter where Veronica is questioned, a lot. It's not like anyone has a reason to suspect anything, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I highkey want my motivation back like bro wya

 

Veronica was getting out of her last class before lunch, noticing that a few people were avoiding her, probably because of her new jacket. She didn't mind, knowing that she'd soon have a new family who would never abandon her and who she would never abandon either.

"Looking good, Lodge," she heard a call from behind her, a voice that she didn't recognize. Cautiously, she turned around to come face to face with Sweet Pea and Fangs Fogarty.

"Oh, hi, boys," Veronica had talked to them before, briefly, yes, but she had talked to them.

"Seems like you're one of us now?" Sweet Pea raised an eyebrow, amused. "I can't deny, the look suits you."

"I am one of you indeed," Veronica gave them a sweet smile, showing off her jacket by briefly twirling around and running a hand along her neck, flipping her hair.

"I didn't think that Jughead would ever let you join," Fangs chuckled lightly. "He doesn't exactly seem to like you or anything."

The girl's smile faded, her figure going stiff.

"Like hell I care about what _Jughead Jones_ thinks of me," she scoffed, insisting. That action received a few chuckles from the boys.

"Good, because we don't like him that much either," Sweet Pea nudged Fangs, smiling. "Anyways... Do you have your tattoo yet?"

"Uh,,," Veronica hadn't thought about that, getting a tattoo. She had no idea where she'd get it. "No... I don't."

"FP can give it to you,,, unless you want to go to a real tattoo parlor."

"I think I'll take my chances with the parlor," she nervously chuckled, excusing herself and leaving to the other direction. She heard the guys mumbling something about her behind her.

Veronica continued her journey towards the cafeteria. She wasn't that hungry but she was proud of her new jacket, her new title and wanted to show it off to everyone.

Suddenly someone — once again for the day — grabbed her arm and pulled her aside, in front of some lockers. This time it was her bestfriend, Betty Cooper.

"Veronica..." she looked at her, dumbfounded. Her arms were crossed in front of her baby pink sweater. "Why do you have a Serpent jacket?"

Veronica didn't expect to have to face Betty this soon. She thought that maybe she could... avoid her? For a few days at least. Betty had been busy for the past weeks anyway and they had hardly seen each other.

"Because... I'm a Serpent now," Veronica shrugged it off, giving the blonde a crooked smile.

Betty blinked. "But you-" she was struggling to find her words, looking Veronica up and down. "I didn't see you do the initiation."

Her voice was accusing, insulting. It hurt, though she probably had no right to feel that way.

"Er," Veronica's eyes travelled away from the other girl, to the ground. "It's not as if you're at the Southside every single day of the week."

"That's true, but... I expected you to tell me if you decided to do something so... impulsive," the blonde let out a pitiful chuckle, it wasn't like her.

 _"Impulsive?_ Betty, do you remember how you joined the gang? Your little _Mad World_ show?" Veronica raised her eyebrows, she couldn't believe her ears. "Do you have a problem with me joining?"

"No, of course not. I just don't want the Serpents to turn into an after school club because of you joining," Betty insisted.

"Like it wasn't one before," the raven-haired girl chuckled, her eyes widening with each excuse she heard. "At least _I_ have a reason to join, Betty. If you don't like it, you just have to deal with it."

The blonde looked at her, not saying a word. 

When did their relationship turn so rocky? It wasn't like this before...

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into...."

"I do. Thank you for your concern, B," Veronica ran a hand along her neck, adjusting the collar of the jacket. "If you don't have anything else to say, I have to-"

Suddenly Betty's eyes widened and she grabbed the collar of Veronica's jacket, pulling it down her shoulder and exposing her neck.

"What are you-"

"Why do you have hickeys on your neck?" back to the accusing tone.

_Fuck._

Veronica must've smudged the foundation on her neck by accident.

"Oh, I accidentally burned myself with my hair curler-" she started, pulling the leather back on her shoulder.

"Your hair is straight, V," Betty furrowed her brows.

Veronica opened her mouth to explain something, anything, but Betty just briefly said goodbye and walked off. She's definitely suspecting something.

Finally, Veronica continued her walk towards the cafeteria. She really needed some carbs to forget about what just happened. But first, she needed to apply some more foundation.

 

 

_________

 

 

  
"Veronica Lodge, a Southside Serpent," Veronica heard someone call behind her as she was sitting at a table at the cafeteria.

It was Cheryl Blossom, standing proudly with a smug smile on her face, Toni Topaz at her arm.

"That's two things I never thought I'd see together," she circled the table with her steps, sitting across from Veronica with Toni.

"Expect the unexpected," the raven-haired girl gave them a sly smile.

"Hope you'll enjoy yourself there," Toni said, her overall tone being nice but a hint of bitterness could be heard. "I just wonder what you had to do to get in."

"What do you mean...?" Veronica was being cautious, she didn't want them to suspect something too.

"I suspect you did the sexist strip tease where-ever it's being held now, did you not?" the pink-haired girl arched an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching up in a challenge.

"I mean, we do know you're not in the Serpent king's good grades, am I correct?" Cheryl smirked, her hand wrapping around Toni's waist under the table.

Veronica furrowed her brows, trying to express confusion. Were they already beginning to suspect something, or were they just teasing her?

"You're correct, I suppose," she avoided answering the main question and continued eating her salad.

She took a sip of water as Cheryl continued talking.

"It isn't a surprise that he'd get tired of my dear cousin the _second_ he gets the chance to see Veronica Lodge take her clothes off."

Veronica almost spit out her water, caught off guard, but quickly reclaimed her composure and swallowed.

"Excuse me, but I just lost my appetite," she got up from the table with her tray and walked off.

She could see Jughead Jones in the distance, eating lunch alone. Betty was nowhere to be seen.

It's like he sensed someone looking at him, since he turned his face towards her and met her gaze, his eyes lighting up. She hesitated for a second whether she should run away or stay.

Veronica gave him a small nod with an almost nonexistent smile, but it was there.

He nodded back.

 

 


	6. "If you want to get on that aggressive bull, go ahead."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica throws a party for the Serpents at La Bonne Nuit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all if the story seems like it has a few plotholes regarding Veronica's initiation, remember that in the show Cheryl didn't even have to do one to get in so the rules kinda wary

 

_La Bonne Nuit_ was filling up with people dressed in black leather jackets. Veronica Lodge was at the bar, sitting in a black dress and a matching leather jacket which were flush against her nervous body. She was partly nervous because of the private event she was hosting for the Serpents, partly because of three people who she didn't know how to act around and who would all be there that night. Betty Cooper, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones, each one for a different reason.

Surprisingly, the man behind the bar counter was the person she was least worried about. Yes, she was still avoiding Reggie but that didn't seem as important as possibly losing her bestfriend who — Veronica assumed — was mad at her.

Talking about her bestfriend, Veronica spotted Betty and Jughead walking down the stairs to the speakasy, dressed in their jackets, obviously. They walked towards her and Veronica straightened her posture.

"Hey, Veronica," Jughead started as the couple got to her. Veronica could see Betty holding onto his arm for her dear life. "It, uh, it was nice of you to throw a party for the Serpents."

"It's nothing," she sweetly smiled at him, rolling the delicate jewel from her necklace between her fingers. "After all, I _am_ one of them now."

"Well, technically there's still something you have to do," he tilted his head, slowly trying to ease his arm away from Betty's tight grasp.

"The tattoo," Veronica sighed, looking down at the floor. "Yes, I know. I'll get it soon."

Jughead smiled at her and she smiled back. Their eyes lingered on each other for a few more seconds than appropiate, which was noticed not only by them, but by the blonde next to them.

Betty cleared her throat, making the raven-haired teens turn towards her.

"Juggie, do you mind getting me some soda?"

"The bar is right there-"

"I need to talk to V," she insisted, quickly giving a peck on Jughead's cheek.

He finally complied and walked a few feet away, towards the bartender, Reggie.

"What's up, Betty?" Veronica smiled at her, leaning against the bar.

"Veronica... do you have something to tell me?" Betty asked, straight ahead.

"What do you mean?" she asked, oblivious.

"I'll cut straight to the case then," she sighed and sat on the bar stool next to Veronica's. "V, if you're cheating on Archie, just tell me because I've never seen with you hickeys before-"

"What?" Oh, _right._ Betty didn't know about their break up. "Betty... Archie and I broke up weeks ago."

Betty's eyes widened.

"What? Why didn't you tell me? I would've been there for you," she frowned.

"I didn't want to bother you, you were so busy with all your investigations. _Besides,_ I'm fine now," Veronica assured her as Jughead came back, holding two glasses. 

To her surprise, he handed the other one to her and the other one to Betty. Veronica gave him a small nod as a thank you as she took the glass from him.

"Jug, did you know that Veronica and Archie broke up?" Betty asked, taking the soda from him.

"Uh--- _wow,_ you broke up?" he pretended to be surprised. "I wonder how Archie's managing."

"Are you sure you're okay, V?"

"Positive," Veronica nodded, standing up and giving the couple a flashing smile. "I actually feel like dancing."

"With who?" Jughead chuckled. It sounded meaner than how he meant it.

"Why, Sweet Pea, of course. Isn't he just _dreamy?"_ the raven-haired girl gave a challenging smirk at the boy with the same hair color. "Or is there a reason for me not to do that?"

"Er, no, no reasons," he cleared his throat, sitting on the seat Veronica just rose up from. "If you want to get on that aggressive bull, go ahead."

_"Great,"_ she smiled, pretentious and walked past the couple, briefly brushing arms with Jughead. She got shivers all over her, even through the rough leather wrapped around her.

He watched after her as she walked away to the booths at the back, where Sweet Pea was sitting with Fangs Fogarty. Her dress shimmered in the lights and her jacket straight up glowed.

"I hope she isn't just trying to find a rebound," Betty sighed, waking Jughead up from his trance. "She has already hooked up with someone else after Archie, I know it."

"Huh?" Jughead turned towards the Betty, a brief panic covering his face before calming down.

"She had hickeys on her neck, Jug. _Hickeys,"_ she stated, exasperated. "I've never seen her with those before."

The raven-haired boy gulped, not keeping eye contact.

"I mean... she's a free woman, Betty. She's allowed to do what and _who_ ever she wants," he shrugged, trying to keep it casual.

"I'm just worried for her... it's not healthy," Betty frowned, taking a sip from her soda.

"You don't even know for a fact that she has done anything. Let it go," Jughead sighed, pressing his palm against his forehead.

"You tease her all the time too," she furrowed her brows.

"It's not the same thing. You're best friends."

It wasn't that different of a thing, but Betty talking about Veronica in a cruel way got on his nerves way more than usual and he didn't want to think about why that was the case.

"Reggie?" he turned towards the bar, where a sad-looking Reggie Mantle was gazing towards the booths at the back, probably at the raven-haired beauty who was there. "Can I get a drink?"

At the same time, Veronica had taken a seat across from Sweet Pea and Fangs, flirting easily with them, mostly just to get her mind off things. Or more like off certain people. Off a certain raven-haired Serpent king.

"This place doesn't seem too bad," Sweet Pea admitted, nodding approvingly. "It's just way too... classy, but otherwise nice."

"Glad you like it, Sweets," Veronica smiled, sipping her drink, which — to her disappointment — was just soda. "I'm actually in the need of a new bartender soon... if either of you are up for it?"

"What about the handsome Squidward over there?" Fangs asked, nudging his head towards the bar where Reggie was in the middle of pouring a drink for Jughead.

"Oh... he won't be staying here for long," she frowned without thinking. She had to officially end everything with him and doubted that he'd stay working at the speakasy after that.

"Trouble in paradise, huh?" Sweet Pea grinned, placing his elbows on the table.

_More like trouble in the mind of the one and only Veronica Lodge_ , she thought but of course didn't say it outloud.

_"Say,"_ she stood up, changing the subject. "Do you want to go dance with me, Sweets?"

"Er," he glanced at Fangs before taking a chug of his beer. "When someone this pretty asks, hell yeah."

"I'm glad," Veronica gave Sweet Pea a sly smile as he stood up. "Excuse me stealing your man, Fangs."

"It's fine," the slightly shorter male chuckled, still in the booth.

Veronica took a hold of Sweet Pea's arm, leading him to the dance floor. She glanced around the speakasy, and to her surprise she spotted Jughead looking at her. Their eyes met and he looked away.

"So, we gonna dance or are you going to keep eye-fucking Jones over there?" Sweet Pea chuckled, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Veronica covered the panic on her face with a flirty smile.

"Isn't this a little _too_ early to get jealous, Sweet Pea?" 

He rolled his eyes, placing a hand on her waist and starting to sway to the music.

"Besides," she continued, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I'm quite sure that you're using me to make Josie jealous too..."

Veronica nudged her head towards the stage of the speakasy, where Josie McCoy had just started singing, though not really paying attention to the two.

"Let's just dance, _shortie,"_ he grumbled, an annoying expression taking over his face for a second.

  
"Jug, do you wanna dance too?" Betty suggested at the bar, finishing her drink.

"You know that I don't dance," Jughead sighed, eyeing the filling dance floor.

The blonde frowned, running her hand along her boyfriend's pale neck.

"For me?"

She ran a thumb down his neck, pulling the collar lower. Jughead chuckled, placing a hand on her waist and pulling her stool closer.

"Not even if you were a Pop's meal."

Suddenly Betty's eyes widened and she pulled her hand away.

"What's wrong?"

"Hm," she observed him all over as he shrugged the jacket better on his shoulders. "Nothing, I think I just saw wrong."

Betty leaned her head on Jughead's shoulder, gazing up at his face which was facing the back of the bar, the dance floor. She could've sworn she saw multiple dark purple marks on his neck, but she must've seen wrong.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie gets angry with Veronica. 
> 
> Cheryl confronts the raven-haired duo about what's going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy

 

Veronica Lodge was in the middle of getting her English books out of her locker, a snake on top of black leather proudly glowing on her back, when suddenly someone slammed her locker shut in front of her.

"What-" she turned to her side, coming face to face with Reggie Mantle, a boy she had been ignoring for over a week now.

"You owe me an explanation, Ronnie," he furrowed his brows, frowning and holding her locker shut.

Veronica straightened her posture, holding tight on her purse.

"Sure thing, Reginald. What do you want to know?" she smiled a little, looking up at him. She couldn't show her panic right now.

"You broke up with Andrews, yet you keep avoiding me and now you're a part of the Serpents and I see you dancing with that Sweet Pea dude? What's going on?" Reggie seemed more sad than angry and it hurt her to see him that way, though it was her fault.

"I did join the Serpents, yes. But that has nothing to do with you," Veronica leaned back against her locker and he withdrew his hand. "I just... It's not like we're dating or anything. We aren't... _exclusive."_

_Ouch._

Not her best excuse. Clearly, Reggie didn't think so either since his eyes narrowed in rage.

"So what, you used me for a few sweet hookups and that's it? Now you're going after Sweet Pea?" he scoffed, growing cold.

"I'm sorry, Reggie. I didn't know you wanted something more serious," Veronica sighed, apologetic. She was sincerely miserable to hurt him. "I just don't think that I should settle down right away after my breakup..."

He breathed all of her in for a second, observing her and her face. Slowly, his face grew mad.

Suddenly Reggie slammed his fist against the lockers, right next to Veronica's head, the sound echoing through the hallway. She winced.

"Reggie, I-"

_"Damn it,_ Ronnie! Make up your mind! First you wanted me, now you don't? I love you, for fuck's sake! Get a fucking grip!"

Veronica was shocked, tears forming in her eyes. She couldn't talk, she had never seen him like this.

"I— I-"

"At least say something, you-"

Quickly, someone appeared next to Veronica and roughly pushed Reggie, making him take a few steps back. It was Jughead Jones.

"Maybe she'd say something if you _literally_ didn't just almost bash her fucking head in," he scoffed, standing protectively next to Veronica.

"This is none of your business, Jo-"

"Veronica's one of us and she has our protection against whatever violent hormone creeps you guys are, so if I were you, I'd back off," Jughead took a step forward, glaring at Reggie.

He looked taken aback, but quickly chuckled.

"You're bluffing, Rat boy."

"You really wanna try me?" he scoffed, placing his hand in his pocket like he was about to pull out something, a pocket knife, perhaps.

"You're a goddamn psycho," Reggie breathed out, backing away. "We're _not_ finished, Veronica. We need to talk," he called out for her before turning and walking away.

Veronica took a deep breath before finally straightening her posture, her back leaving the locker. Jughead turned towards her, the anger on his face quickly turning into worry.

"You okay? He didn't hurt you, did you?"

"Reggie wouldn't hurt me," she insisted, quickly opening her locker and taking her books out before closing it. "But... _thank you,_ Jughead. I really didn't need this conversation with him right now."

"Anytime," he barely smiled, but it was there. "I couldn't help but hear a little snippet of your talk..."

Without thinking, they started walking towards the English class together, side by side. People in the hallways looked at them, their jackets matched and stood out, after all.

"You shouldn't be using him just for fun. You shouldn't use Sweet Pea, either."

"I didn't try to use him, I was actually considering a relationship before we had-"

"Before you what?"

Veronica stopped in her tracks, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. She almost said something outloud she would have regretted forever. Thank god for Jughead's habit of interrupting her.

"Forget it, Jughead. It's none of your business."

He frowned, looking at her with a puzzled look, before shrugging.

"Fair enough."

Jughead rolled his shoulders and gave her a small nod before starting to walking off.

"Jughead, wait," she quickly said without planning her move.

He turned around, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I.... we might as well walk to class together, right?" Veronica suggested, walking towards him and pressing her books tightly against her chest.

"Sure," Jughead waited for her to catch up on him before they continued walking together.

Surprisingly, they were interrupted by Cheryl Blossom walking in front of them from out of nowhere. She had a smug smile on her face and a folder in her arms.

"Well, well, isn't it the Riverdale High's new Serpent couple," she smirked, flipping her red hair back. "You're even matching, _how cute,"_ Cheryl motioned her hand towards their hair and jackets.

"Even matching hickeys, I suppose?" she grinned. Veronica held back from basically hissing at her outloud.

"What are you talking about?" Veronica furrowed her brows, glancing up at Jughead whose face was getting red and was looking away.

"I asked my dear cousin Betty to spill some beans about what's been going on with her for a few days," Cheryl simply explained, shrugging it off. "After telling some things about my wicked mother, she told me about the sinners' marks on both of your necks. Though, she wasn't sure about her dear Juggie's marks but someone doesn't just make that up in their head."

Unconsciously Veronica reached towards her neck, towards the spot covered with foundation and powder. She could see from the corner of her eye that Jughead did the same.

"Betty... noticed that?" he mumbled.

"So you're admitting it?" the redhead raised her eyebrows, a smile still ghosting her face. "I'd like some details about what happened between you two."

Veronica looked around, the hallway was getting empty since everyone was hurrying to class.

"It doesn't count, Cheryl. It didn't mean _anything,"_ she hissed through her teeth, trying to keep a low volume. The boy nect to her glanced at her as she said those words.

"So, just a casual hookup? _Classy."_

"No," Jughead scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "It was— it was for her initiation."

Veronica's mouth formed into a thin line and she looked down. Jughead looked bothered.

"Initiation... for the Serpents?" Cheryl looked confused. She continued loudly. "So you can join by fucking a Serpent?"

_"Cheryl!"_ the raven-haired girl whined, urging her to keep her voice down.

"By, er— fucking the king," Jughead looked down, frowning. Veronica bit her lower lip while waiting for Cheryl to respond.

"Oh, I see," Cheryl chirped, smiling. "That explains it then. No harm done."

"You won't tell anyone?" Veronica asked in a hopeful tone.

"I didn't say that," the redhead chuckled, getting ready to leave. "If it was just for the initiation, everyone can know. No harm done, _right?"_

The raven-haired duo were left standing alone in the hallway as Cheryl disappeared in the blink of an eye. They glanced at each other, realisation of the situation filling their heads and panic their eyes.

"I- we-" Veronica started but wasn't even sure how to finish. They had to do something

"I- I have to go to class," Jughead interrupted her, picking up his beanie and running a hand nervously through his hair before putting it back down.

She tried to stop him but he walked away quickly. She had no idea what to do.

 

 


End file.
